Casing structure for heat transfer unit



Original Filed Oct. 23, 1967 .LWL'MCGUFFEY 3,548,553

CASING STRUCTURE FOR HEAT TRANSFER UNIT 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR 39 W- MCIGUFF l3 q ATTORNEYS Dec. 22, 1970 J. w. M GUFFEY 3,548,553

CASING STRUCTURE FOR HEAT TRANSFER UNIT Original Filed Oct. 23, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 74 4 FIG.3 I

VENTOR TTORNEY J. w. MCGUFFEY CASING STRUCTURE FOR HEAT TRANSFER UNIT Original Filed Oct. 25, 1967 Dec. 22,1970

3 Sheets-Sheet S INVENTOR JAMES W. MCGUFFEY 41; M v

a. A Y. B

ATTORNEYS "United States Patent Oflice 3,548,553 CASING STRUCTURE FOR HEAT TRANSFER UNIT James W. McGutfey, Lansing, Mich., assignor to Tranter Manufacturing, llnc., Lansing, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Original application Oct. 23, 1967, Ser. No. 677,343.

Divided and this application Oct. 23, 1968, Ser.

Int. Cl. F04b 1 56; F16b 5/06 11.8. Cl. 52281 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The unit features an upright external casing in which operating components of a falling film-type heat exchanger are enclosed. The casing has rectangular side and end wall panels of nonmetallic material united by composite corner devices each including two nonmetallic and one metallic corner members. The metallic member has mating, tongue and groove snap-on engagement with nonmetallic members on either side thereof; and the latter are each divergently flanged and slotted to matingly receive an edge of a wall panel to effect an articulating connection of the wall panels. The metal corner members are rigidly connected at their bottoms to a base to support the connected wall panel members.

This application is a division of my copending application Ser. No. 677,343, filed Oct. 23, 1967.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONFIELD The improved casing structure relates directly to the field of heat exchange or transfer units of a welded sheet metal construction, in which fluid-flow and heat transfer components are enclosed in a rigid, attractive casing structure; and, more particularly, to a falling film type of heat transfer equipment such as is shown in greater detail and claimed in my application identified above. However, it is to be understood that various features of the herein claimed casing means, in particular the corner devices articulating side and end wall panels in a rigid rectangular outline, may also find desirable application in fields other than that of heat transfer.

I am not aware of any prior art disclosures particularly pertinent to what is herein shown and claimed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention comprises a rigid, four-walled casing structure, including side and end wall panels of rectangular shape which are rigidly articulated together by elongated upright corner connecting devices. The wall panels are preferably of an appropriate nonmetallic resin or like composition; and each of the connector devices comprises two identical elongated elements, each also of a plastic material, which are flanged divergently away from one another and slotted at the respective flanges to have mating engagement by vertical edges of the adjacent wall panels, with a strong adhesive bond uniting the mating surfaces.

Each. of the plastic or like connectors has a protruding elongated rib or tongue of bulging cross section, which formations have snap-on engagement in grooves of an elongated upright articulating member, thus enabling the assembly of wall and corner components to be performed very expeditiously. A T-section outer corner member, also of metal, is rigidly connected to the metallic articulating member, these last named members extending the full height of the wall structure; and they are rigidly secured at the bottom thereof to an appropriate rugged angle iron-type base.

3,548,553 Patented Dec. 22, 1970 Thus there is afforded an enclosure or casing structure for a heat transfer or like system which has great rigidity, yet is constituted by quite inexpensive and easily assembled components. The nature of these enables the dimensions of the cabinet or casing structure to be tailormade to accommodate many different sizes and/or capacities of the enclosed system, whatever its specific nature may be.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the casing structure, partially broken away at cabinet wall parts of the latter to show heat transfer components therein;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary and elevational view of the structure, being partially broken away and in transverse vertical section to show certain header and conduit members which communicate with the exterior of the casing structure;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the structure being also partially broken away to show internal header and communicating conduit means which open through the casing;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view in enlarged scale and in transverse vertical section along 44 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged scale fragmentary view in horizontal section on line 55 of FIG. 4, illustrating a detail of construction of the cabinet means of the unit.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An operational heat exchanger assembly, generally designated by the reference numeral 10, is illustrated in substantially its entirety in FIG. 1 as being enclosed in a vertically elongated, four walled housing or casing 11 in accordance with the invention. Although sizes will vary in different installations, in a typical one the casing and its base will measure approximately inches in height by about 57 inches across side walls and about 40 inches across end walls. The invention deals with the physical construction of the casing, and features thereof will be later described in detail.

For the present, it suffices to state that the casing 11 comprises a relatively massive base 12 constituted by a pair of elongated parallel side channel sections 13 braced by transverse cross channels 14 which are welded at their ends to the inner faces of channels 13. The casing further comprises a pair of parallel upright side panels 16, 16, a pair of parallel upright end panels 17, 17, four upright corner bar units or devices, generally designated 18, by which the side and wall panels are fixedly articulated in a box-like outline, and a top panel 19.

The heat interchange or transfer assembly 10 housed within casing 11 is constituted by a number of the transfer units 22, of which there are four in the illustrated embodiment, although the number may of course vary. These are arranged vertically in parallel, laterally spaced planes, being somewhat less in height than the overall structure, and they are serviced with the respective liquids to be cooled and to cool in the following manner.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, a pump-pressurized liquid to be cooled enters the bottom of the interchange assembly 22 through casing end wall 17 via a supply fitting 23, which communicates downwardly with a main supply header 24 of the same diameter, whence it goes to the bottoms of the respective transfer plate units 22. Supply header 24 has appropriate closure plugs 25. The cooled liquid exits from the assembly main discharge header 26, in communication with a discharge fitting 27 extending through the second casing end wall 17.

Like supply fitting 23, the fitting 27 has appropriate closure plugs 28 at its ends. As appears in FIG. 3, header 26 is supported on the casing wall 17 by an appropriate bracket 29.

The cooling water enters the assembly of the interchange units 22 through a supply pipe fitting which extends through the end wall 17 at a quite elevated point, as appears in FIG. 1. Fitting 30 communicates directly with the interior of an upright stilling box or chamber 32, whence liquid flows into and over the interchange units 22. Having descended the sides of the units 22, the cooling water exits from the interchange assembly 10 through a pipe fitting 33 (FIG. 3), which fitting receives the coolant overflow from an inclined collector trough 34.

Each of the interchange units 22 is constituted by a heat transfer plate part 36, and a distributor part 37, details of which, and their relation to the plate 36, are described at length in the parent application identified above.

The side margins of plates 36 are seam-welded at 36, and they are preferably ribbed or corrugated, as at 38, substantially coextensive with the height thereof.

The plates 36 each communicate downwardly with a continuous elongated bottom header 39 and each bottom header 39 communicates at one end with the inner side of the supply header, as at a welded joint. The opposite ends of bottom headers 39 are plugged or otherwise closed.

Each transfer plate 36 is equipped along its upper edge with a discharge header 40 of the same size as the bottom supply header 39; and the headers 40 communicate at one end, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, with the inner side of the main transverse discharge header 26.

Each distributor 37 is longitudinally aligned with a large-size entry opening 44 in the inner wall of the stilling box 32, and is closed at its opposite end (FIG. 3) by an upright plate 45.

The distributor 37 comprises two like, but oppositely oriented, upright sheet metal walls 46 spaced transversely from one another; and at the top, as viewed in FIG. 4, each wall 46 is formed to provide a downwardly offset shoulder 48, and the wall 46 curves laterally and convexly outwardly from the top of shoulder 48, then extends divergently downwardly at a portion 49 in an angle A to the vertical. Portion 49 then merges gradually with a mildly outwardly convex belly portion 50 which may be on a radius R, centered on the opposite wall 46. This arcuate portion 50 of the wall 46 converges inwardly and downwardly, at an angle B of approximately 30 to the vertical, in a lower fiat wall portion 51, and that portion terminates along a bottom edge 52 located closely adjacent the side wall of the heat transfer plate 36 with which that particular distributor 37 is associated.

A sheet metal bottom wall or floor 54 for distributor 37 is welded along its horizontal side edges within and along the walls 46.

The distributor 37 is completed by a pair of special sheet metal adapter stampings 56 secured to the stilling box wall and end closure plate 45.

Each adapter 56 includes an inner flat, venturi-like control portion 57 angled inwardly and upwardly and from the top of these control portions the adapter 56 is bent sharply outwardly and mildly downwardly at 58 to constitute a top ledge portion for the distributor.

The upper and innermost limits of the convergent adapter control portions 57 define a laterally restricted top orifice or mouth 60.

Improved structural features of the casing 11 for the assembly of units 22 contribute to ease and speed of manufacture of the casing at little cost, indeed, but still affording a very strong and rigid structure. In this matter particular reference should be had to FIG. 5, taken in conjunction with the other views.

The invention contemplates that the side walls 16, 16', the end walls 17, 17, the top wall 19, and a considerable portion of each upright corner articulating device 18 shall be of a nonmetallic material, such as an appropriate and suitably stiff plastic sheeting having a certain degree of compressibility; yet with another portion of the articulating device being made of a weldable material enabling a welded bottom connection to a base channel 13.

For the purpose of making the connection, each of the side and end wall panels is equipped with a special connector piece 62 of the same plastic material, which piece is slotted along its length at 63 to receive the edge of the adjacent panel in a tongue and groove type of union. A suitable adhesive is employed for a strong union between the side and end wall panels and connector pieces 62.

The connector members 62 are coextensive in height with the respective wall panels 16, 16, 17 and 17, and each connector is integrally formed to provide a laterally projecting male formation or tongue 64 of bulged crosssection along its length, the connectors 62 extending laterally substantially beyond these formations. Each elongated adapter 66 is of the same, nonmetallic material as the connectors 62 and serves to effect a fixed and rigid articulation of the adjacent connectors to one another. Adapter 66, coextensive in length with members 62, is molded to provide a pair of opposed, laterally spaced vertical channels 67 opening outwardly through restricted throats 68 of less width than the respective male formation 64, so that the connector member 62 may be engaged with the common adapter 66 therefor under a snap-on action performed manually with ease and speed by an operator.

Finally, each adapter 66 is formed to provide a vertically extending, outwardly opening groove 70 along its length to receive an upright outer member bridging the lateral space between connector members 62, in the form of a vertically elongated T-bar 71 of steel, the stem of which bar is united to the adapter with the assistance of a suitable adhesive. The bottoms of bars 71 are weld-connected to the base channels 13 to complete the mount of casing 11 on the base 12.

As appears in FIG. 4, the top panel 19 is united to the side and end wall panels by laterally extending connector devices, specially designated 72, which are very similar to the corner articulating devices 18, hence have their parts designated by corresponding reference numerals, primed. In the case of top panel 19, a steel stamping 74 of upwardly flanged cross section has offset inner flanges 75 re ceived and cemented in the grooves 70 of the adapter pieces 66. The stamping 74 is weld-connected rigidly to the tops of the T-bars 71 of the upright corner articulating devices 18 to complete a very strong and rigid, but inexpensive, casing structure 11.

I claim:

1. A casing structure for a heat interchange or like unit, comprising a base, Side and end wall panel members extending upright from said base to enclose said unit, and an upright corner device laterally articulating said wall panel members fixedly to one another, said corner device comprising similar connector members fixed to adjacent edges of a pair of said panel members, a vertically extending adapter member fixedly connected to connector members on either side thereof, said connector members each having a formation engaged with one of two mating formations of said adapter member to effect an articulating connection, and an outer member fixedly joined to said adapter member in an upright zone between said mated formations, said outer member being rigidly connected at its bottom to said base to support the connected wall panel members.

2. The casing structure of claim 1, in which one of said mating formations articulating the adapter member and a panel connector member has snap-on engagement in the formation mated thereby.

3. The casing structure of claim 2, in which said panel and connector members are of nonmetallic material, said outer member being of a weldable metal and having a welded connection at its bottom to said base.

4. The casing structure of claim 3, in which the joint of said outer member to the adapter member is a tongue and groove one along said zone between said mated formations.

5. A casing structure of the type described, comprising a base, side and end wall panel members extending upright from said base to enclose said unit, and upright corner devices laterally articulating at least two of said side and end Wall panel members fixedly to one another, said corner devices each comprising vertically extending connector members fixedly connected to adjacent upright edges of panel members on either side thereof, an upright adapter member disposed in an upright zone between said connector members, said connector members each having a formation in snap-on mating engagement with one of two mating formations of said adapter member to efiYect an articulating connection to the latter, certain of said connector and adapter members being rigidly connected at the bottom thereof to said base to support the connected wall panel members, and an upright outer member secured to said adapter member and substantially bridging the lateral space between connector members.

6. The casing structure of claim 5, in which said wall panel and connector members are of nonmetallic mate- 6 rial, said corner members being of a weldable metal and having a welded connection at the bottom thereof to said base.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS HENRY C. SUTHERLAND, Primary Examiner I. L. RIDGILL, JR., Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

